So in my book on flash, Mastering Canon EOS Flash Photography, I start off with a little history of flash and how modern flash tech came about. And one thing I never found out was who first developed flash sync technology.

Turns out he was alive when I wrote it! The New York Times reports that German mega-inventor Artur Fischer, creator of the fischertechnik toy system and the humble yet ubiquitous wall screw anchor, was also the inventor of flash sync. Fischer, who died on January 27 2016 at age 96, invented flash sync in 1947, selling the technology to Agfa.

Yes, the second edition of my hefty tome on flash — Mastering Canon EOS Flash Photography — is almost here. It’s been printed, as evidenced by this photo, and is on a slow boat from China. It should be hitting bookshops around the world in March.

It’s a reasonably significant update, as it brings the book up to date with the latest developments, particularly Canon’s radio flash technology. It covers both the Speedlite 600EX-RT and the groovy new Speedlite 430EX III-RT flash units.

Sorry for PhotoNotes.org’s massive amount of downtime lately. Apparently things are continuing slowly on the fibre cabinet repair front. But the driver who destroyed the cabinet also apparently destroyed the pedestal it stands on, supplying power. So they’ve had to run new power to the box as well.

Well, it’s been a very long time coming. 16 years, in fact. But at long last my much-awaited book of Burning Man writing and photography, Art of Burning Man, is about to be published by renowned art publisher Taschen. Yes, it’s really happening. And it also kind of explains why this site hasn’t been as updated as much as I’d like…

A threat to the “freedom of panorama” concept has been shot down in the European parliament. This proposed law would have restricted people from taking photos in public places that happened to include certain buildings.